Louis Vuitton Prize Giving Gala at the Fairmont

Emirates Team New Zealand, champions of the  were honored at a prize giving ceremony and dinner held on August 26^th at the historic Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

This year’s Louis Vuitton Cup consisted of three teams: Emirates Team New Zealand, Artemis Racing of Sweden and Luna Rossa Challenge of ltaly – who team New Zealand beat for the title, seven to one in the final round.

The awards ceremony took place in the Fairmont’s impressive Crown Room, where breathtaking panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay served as a backdrop for the prestigious presentation.

The Black Tie Gala brought out Team New Zealand, many of whom were clad in their formal team uniform, as well as several other affiliates of Louis Vuitton and America’s Cup including Valérie Chapoulaud-Floquet the North American President & CEO at Louis Vuitton, Bruno Trouble (a contributing skipper to America’s Cup and an organizer of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series), Christine Belanger (Events Director of the Louis Vuitton Cup), Tommaso De Vecchi (SVP of the Western Region at Louis Vuitton), philanthropist Lucy Jewett who is also a board member of the San Francisco’s America’s Cup Organizing Committee, Mark Buell (the head of the America’s Cup Organizing Committee) and seven-time sailing world champion, America’s Cup veteran and Olympian, Paul Cayard.

Guests indulged in a delectable three-course dinner which took place alongside charming magic acts throughout the room to entertain guests as they dined.

Festivities were brought to a highpoint when the live music commenced and patrons immediately hit the dance floor to sway the night away.

Before 1983, no challenger had ever achieved victory in defeating the U.S. defender. Since then there have been seven Louis Vuitton regattas and the winner has gone on to win the America’s Cup four times. This led to the slogan, “To win the America’s Cup, first win the Louis Vuitton Cup”.

Will this year prove to be true to that famous saying?

American’s Cup Finals and Festivities continue through until September 21^st.

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